Successful retransplantation of the human heart
Copeland, J.G.; Griepp, R.B.; Bieber, C.P.; Billingham, M.; Schroeder, J.S.; Hunt, S.; Mason, J.; Stinson, E.B.; Shumway, N.E.
Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 73(2): 242-247
1977
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-5223 PMID: 319302 Document Number: 122871
Cardiac retransplantation has been performed in five patients at Stanford University Medical Center. Long-term survival and rehabilitation have been achieved in two cases. In the first case retransplantation was performed 57 days after the initial procedure because of persistent acute graft rejection. The second patient underwent retransplantation 27 months postoperatively because of documented accelerated graft atherosclerosis. The major indications for cardiac retransplantation consist of intractable acute rejection and late postoperative graft atherosclerosis. These complications should prompt consideration of cardiac retransplantation in carefully selected cases.